Unit:  The Solar System

Lesson 1:  Let’s Take a Trip

Kick-off

Grade:  3

 

MST State Standards:

  • Standard 4:  Science

Physical Setting

    1. The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.

o       1.1a. Natural cycles and patterns include:

ü      Earth spinning around once every 24 hours (rotation), resulting in day and night

ü      Earth moving in a path around the Sun (revolution), resulting in one Earth year

ü      The length of daylight and darkness varying with the seasons

ü      Weather changing from day to day and through the seasons

ü      The appearance of the Moon changing as it moves in a path around Earth to complete a single cycle

o       1.1b. Humans organize time into units based on natural motions of Earth:

ü      Second, minute, hour

ü      Week, month

o       1.1c. The Sun and other stars appear to move in a recognizable pattern both daily and seasonally.

5.      Energy and matter interact through forces that result in changes in motion.

o       5.1a. The position of an object can be described by locating it relative to another object or the background (e.g., on top of, next to, over, under, etc.).

o       5.1c. The force of gravity pulls objects toward the center of Earth.

Integrated Standards:

  • ELA Standard 1:  Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

1E. Students make appropriate and effective use of strategies to construct meaning from print, such as prior knowledge about a subject, structural and context clues, and an understanding of letter-sound relationships to decode difficult words.

Unifying Idea(s) or Dimension(s):

  • Systems
  • History and Nature of Science

 

Objectives:  SWBA to…

  • Explain what the solar system is.
  • Describe how Earth and planets orbit around the sun.

Aim:

  • Welcome to the solar system.  What is the solar system?

Materials:

  • KWL charts
  • The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System by Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen

Safety Procedures:

  • There is no experiment taking place, or need for safety procedures.

Assessment:

  • Students will be informally pre-assessed through the introductory class discussion, as well as by reading the student’s KWL charts.  The teacher can use the students’ responses as an aid for planning the upcoming lessons for the unit.

Procedure (5-E Cycle):

Engage and Explore:

  1. The teacher will first begin and engage students by asking them: “What do you think, and know about this place people call Earth, our home? What about the sun?!”  Students should hopefully share different information they know very excitedly.  The answer would be that they are part of the solar system. “Solar” means sun.  Why system?  All the parts work together to make a whole held together by gravity.
  2. Next the teacher will go on by explaining to the students about this next unit, the solar system.
  3. After a brief discussion, the teacher will then ask the students to write their thoughts down on the KWL chart.  While working with one column at a time, students will first complete the ‘K,’ what they already know about the solar system.
  4. Next, students will be asked to complete the ‘W,’ what they want to know about the solar system.

Explain:

  1. Once students have completed the first two columns of their KWL charts, the teacher will have students share some of their questions out loud.  This is good for students because a lot of times many students have the same questions, so they can see that they are not the only one that wanted to know something. What they know will be recorded on large planet earth, and what they know about sun will be written on strips of yellow paper (like rays of sun) connected to circle.  “SUNsational” facts will be added as learned.  Pictures of other planets, comets, stars will be laminated; and as students share facts they know, or as facts are learned, they will be posted appropriately. The teacher will then explain to the students that she will collect the charts to review and plan to answer their questions over the course of the unit.

Expand:

  1. Next the teacher will introduce students to the solar system using The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System by Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen.  The teacher will read pages 4-14.  These are just the pages with the basic information that explains what the solar system is and how it works.

Evaluate:

  1. Once the story has come to an end and students begin to learn and become interested in the subject, the teacher will  mention that when the unit is coming to an end, they will be given the KWL charts back so they can complete the third and final column, the ‘L’ which stands for what they have learned.  The teacher will use this as an informal assessment to make sure they have a proper understanding of the material.
  2. Students can write information on planets, stars, rockets, and other space related objects as they learn, which will be posted visibly on bulletin board or on walls.

 

Key Questions:

  • What is the solar system?
  • What do you know about the solar system?
  • What do you want to know?

Adaptations for Special Need & enrichment differentiation:

  • The KWL chart is great for a teacher to use with any students.  It gives students the chance to show their knowledge, and it also gives students the opportunity to ask questions they might be afraid to ask orally.  The ‘W’ section, and asking questions in that column, is where the KWL chart can help special needs students.  This feature helps the teacher get a better understanding as to how he or she can help particular students.

 

Follow-up Assignments:

  • Lesson introducing the planets and the sun, incorporating the rest of The Magic School Bus book.
  • Culminating lesson will have students complete the KWL charts.
  • As a homework assignment, the teacher will introduce the moon phase calendar so that students can begin observing the moon which will be discussed in a later lesson.
  • Let them know about the Nine(eight) Planets Just for Kids website they are encouraged to go to throughout the unit.
  • http://kids.nineplanets.org/

Reflection and Revision:

  • I would like to try to include a demonstration as an introduction to the solar system.  Perhaps one that some students can participate and help in.